Two Indian military aircraft visit Australia’s strategic Cocos Islands
Two Indian military aircraft visit Australia’s strategic Cocos Islands
Subject : International relations
Section: Places in news
Why in news?
- Expanding the strategic reach of the Indian military and improving interoperability with Australia, an Indian Navy Dornier maritime patrol aircraft and an Indian Air Force (IAF) C-130 transport aircraft visited Australia’s Cocos (Keeling) Islands (CKI) in the Southern Indian Ocean, close to Indonesia and strategic maritime choke points earlier this month.
- The aircraft were at Cocos Island for close to a week, which can be an important base for refuelling and operational turnaround for the Indian military; India aims to increase its military-to-military engagement, deepening interoperability in the region.
Cocos Keeling Islands (CKI) and its facilities
CKI is an Australian external territory located in the Indian Ocean, approximately 3,000 km north-west of Perth in western Australia, and comprises two coral atolls made up of 27 smaller Islands. The runway at this facility is being upgraded and lengthened by 150 metres by Australian Defence Forces (ADF) so that larger aircraft like P-8Is can utilise for efficient patrolling of this region. Even before the Indian military reached there, Cocos Islands had been a point of cooperation between the space agencies of the two countries for India’s Gaganyaan human space flight mission. Establishing temporary ground stations and other satellite navigation cooperation here by Australian space agency (ASA) and ISRO.
